Hair care once included mainly shampoo for effective cleansing. However, for years, shampoos have not only been considered a cosmetic product for cleansing, but have additional ingredients that nourish the hair, keep it shiny and manageable. The cosmetic industry is constantly researching new natural raw materials, as well as new techniques for formulating shampoos, to meet the ever-increasing consumer demands. Hard shampoos have been developed as an alternative to traditional shampoos with the aim of reducing the use of plastics in packaging due to its negative impact on the environment.
In the diploma thesis, we conducted market research on hard shampoos that are available on the Slovenian market, a surfactant foaming test and created a hard shampoo formulation that contained surfactants of natural origin and other natural ingredients. We performed hedonic sensory evaluation with effective testing with 32 volunteers who evaluated the sensory properties of a hard shampoo that we made in the laboratory and a hard shampoo that we bought at a drugstore.
In the market research, we found that the most used surfactants in commercially available hard shampoos are sodium coco-sulfate and sodium cocoyl isetoinate. Of the lipophilic ingredients, shea butter and olive oil were most often used, and more than half of the shampoos contained plant extracts, most often nettle extract. In terms of marketing claims on the packaging, such as the shampoo being a vegan product and that it contains 90-100% natural ingredients, not all shampoos contained certification logos to support these claims. In the foaming test, the selected surfactants of natural origin foamed well and made a stable foam. Sodium cocoyl glutamate and sodium cocoyl glycinate preformed the best. In the of the sensory analysis, the self-produced, test hard shampoo with surfactants of natural origin had comparable sensory properties to the commercial hard shampoo. Most volunteers rated the foaming (72 %), cleansing (78 %) and rinsing ability (78 %) as good for the tested formulation. We conclude that the formulation met many modern consumer demands, such as producing rich and stable foam, gentle and effective cleansing, and a sustainable aspect.
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